Taking statins in pregnancy could avert a caesarean, research suggests

Pregnant women, like Angelina Jolie, could reduce their chances of having a caesarean by taking statins, a new study finds

Giving statins to pregnant women could save thousands every year from needing a caesarean, research suggests.

It is thought the cholesterol-busting drugs make it easier for the womb to contract and so for the woman to deliver her baby naturally.

Laboratory experiments are under way and, if successful, trials on pregnant women could begin in as little as three years.

The research comes amid concerns that obesity, which is associated with high levels of cholesterol, is to blame for the number of caesareans doubling in the past 20 years.

Obese women are much more likely to need a caesarean, a major operation which carries a host of risks to both mother and baby ranging from infection to infertility.

There is also concern over the risks associated with obesity during pregnancy.

More than half the women who die in pregnancy or shortly after giving birth are overweight or obese, while obesity also raises the baby's risk of being stillborn, premature or born with defects, a major inquiry concluded last year.

The research by Liverpool University suggests the number of caesareans carried out on obese women could be cut by giving them statins to lower their cholesterol.

Tests have already shown that raising levels of cholesterol interferes with womb tissue's ability to contract.

The researchers are now looking at whether statins can boost the power of the contractions.

If this is the case, and statins are proved safe for use in pregnancy, trials on pregnant women could begin in three to five years.

If these are a success, they could then be given to obese women and those with high cholesterol.

Prescription is likely to be limited to last six to eight weeks of pregnancy, when the unborn baby has gone through the most crucial stages of development.

Although such widespread prescription is at least a decade away, the researchers said their work offers hope of a breakthrough in an area of medicine that is often neglected.

Despite many of the 150,000 caesareans carried out each year being due to problems with contractions, no contraction-boosting drugs have been developed for more than 50 years.

Researcher Dr Siobhan Quenby, a consultant obstetrician, said that even if only 5 per cent of caesareans are prevented, thousands of women would be saved from the risks.

She added: 'It is important for women to know we are trying to do something about it.'